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THAT DEVIL WILKES!
From the BBC prize-winning author of A Dangerous Energy comes a disgracefully amusing (and amusingly disgraceful) stage-play concerning the life and lively times of English Radical and 'Friend of Freedom', JOHN WILKES (1727-1797). ‘Wilkes—you will die on the gallows or of the pox!’ ‘That depends, my lord, on whether I embrace your lordship's principles or your mistress.’ Second, revised and expanded, edition. 2020. ADULT CONTENT
78 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 15, 2020
John Whitbourn is one of my favourite authors. Being about half way through his collected works, it was perhaps an appropriate moment to take a break from his novels to read the one play he has published (to the best of my knowledge), That Devil Wilkes!
I’m not a fan of plays, so this was always perhaps odds on to be my least favourite of the author’s work. That transpired to be the case (so far anyway), but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The author is as drily witty as ever, unexpectedly descended as he is from distinguished fashioners of headwear. The play is on the short side, quitting whilst it was ahead.
For some reason I couldn’t get out of my head Blackadder the Third, a few generations removed and less subtle humour perhaps, but still the feeling lingered. The author is clearly enjoying himself and it’s a nice deviation from his normal work. All that said, unless you like bawdy plays based around 18th century history/politics, this is perhaps for Whitbourn afficionados only.
Regardless of whether you buy this, I can strongly recommend the author’s other works. BABYLONdon and The Pevensey Trilogy are superb. His short story collections Binscombe Tales and Altered Englands rate in my top ten list of favourites and his masterpiece The Age of the Triffids actually gets on the medals podium. Make sure you try and find that, eh?
I’m not a fan of plays, so this was always perhaps odds on to be my least favourite of the author’s work. That transpired to be the case (so far anyway), but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The author is as drily witty as ever, unexpectedly descended as he is from distinguished fashioners of headwear. The play is on the short side, quitting whilst it was ahead.
For some reason I couldn’t get out of my head Blackadder the Third, a few generations removed and less subtle humour perhaps, but still the feeling lingered. The author is clearly enjoying himself and it’s a nice deviation from his normal work. All that said, unless you like bawdy plays based around 18th century history/politics, this is perhaps for Whitbourn afficionados only.
Regardless of whether you buy this, I can strongly recommend the author’s other works. BABYLONdon and The Pevensey Trilogy are superb. His short story collections Binscombe Tales and Altered Englands rate in my top ten list of favourites and his masterpiece The Age of the Triffids actually gets on the medals podium. Make sure you try and find that, eh?
June 2, 2013
This is a raucous, bawdy play about the 18th-century political radical and merry scoundrel John Wilkes. Essentially it covers one day in his life in which he is assailed by three no doubt typical problems: his womanising friend the Reverend Charles Churchill is imperilled by the family of his latest floozy; another friend, the boor Lord Cobham, is imperilled by a duel with a lord he has insulted; and Wilkes himself is imperilled by a Scotsman who wants to murder him for japes against the Scots. Wilkes deftly evades and resolves all these difficulties even while incarcerated in the Tower of London!
The play is not long - around an hour in performance, I would guess - and is as rude as it is funny. It pines for a time when politics was more scurrilous and vituperative, more fun and more honest - or at least more honestly dishonest.
The play is followed by a short article by Whitbourn, rejected by the New Statesman, in which Wilkes is lauded in contrast to modern politicians, and particularly as an English nationalist. It is indeed interesting that such a fiery and influential figure is so little remembered.
As this edition was presumably entirely prepared by the author, there are a surprising number of typos; but nothing significant. That Devil Wilkes! is enlightening and very amusing.
The play is not long - around an hour in performance, I would guess - and is as rude as it is funny. It pines for a time when politics was more scurrilous and vituperative, more fun and more honest - or at least more honestly dishonest.
The play is followed by a short article by Whitbourn, rejected by the New Statesman, in which Wilkes is lauded in contrast to modern politicians, and particularly as an English nationalist. It is indeed interesting that such a fiery and influential figure is so little remembered.
As this edition was presumably entirely prepared by the author, there are a surprising number of typos; but nothing significant. That Devil Wilkes! is enlightening and very amusing.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews